Monday, June 30, 2014

J.Crew Factory is having a 40-60% off sale now through Tuesday, July 8. I am kinda obsessed with their accessories and jewelry. Their clothes are great, but I'm all about snagging up the extras during these sales. Here are my favorites. And they're so affordable right now!

Friday, June 27, 2014

Hollywood, California. My former city of residence. For four years I lived walking distance from the famous Chinese Theater and the hustle and bustle of Hollywood Blvd, which I imagine must be like a miniature version of Times Square. It was a mixture of exciting and frustrating. Famous people everywhere, there's always something to do...but so.many.crazies. Almost everyone wants to be somebody and unfortunately most don't make it.

In addition to living so close to the chaos, I also worked right smack dab in the middle of it. Funny story - although I left the job over a year ago, I'm back for a few months contracting. So I decided to play tourist during my lunch break. I walked the crammed streets and snapped pictures of these landmarks which are all located literally right next to my office. You can get a small sense of the amount of people always walking around from the pictures below. To New Yorkers it's no big deal, but to the rest of the world, fighting crowds just go to Starbucks is a nightmare!

Enough blabbing, without further ado, I now bring you a photo tour of Hollywood Blvd. Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Some people are addicted to purses, shoes, or a certain designer label. My vice is jewelry, usually from BaubleBar. I can't help myself! I'm currently loving their ear jackets. Like ear cuffs but with an additional stud, this style is edgy and fun. Check out the current styles I'm coveting.

I think all three pairs are absolutely adorable, but the first are my favorite. Unfortunately they're currently out of stock womp womp. I added my name to the wait list, fingers crossed they come in soon!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Taxi Magic. I received a promotional code to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

In Los Angeles getting a taxi is somewhat of an ordeal. The city is so spread apart that you almost have to have a car to get around. Because the demand for taxis isn't as high as say New York City, you don't see an abundance of cabs like you would in other cities. However, despite our geographical challenges, LA seems to be ramping up it's cab presence and a lot of that has to do with apps that make hailing one a cinch. Enter Taxi Magic, a company that boasts they are "bringing the taxi back".

I'd heard of the company but hadn't gotten around to trying it so when I was offered the opportunity to experience the service, I was all over it!

To hail a cab, simply select "I'm Ready To Go!" or "Pick Me Up Later", the app locates your location, tells you what taxi company is closest, and allows you to enter a destination if you'd like to calculate your fare and instructions to the driver if you'd like. When you're ready you hit "Come Get Me" and the app tracks the location of the cab, displaying it's ETA on it's way to you. Inside the cab there's a Taxi Magic screen in a seat headrest that brings up your name and app info, as well as displays your fare. Upon arrival at your destination, a tip option pops up on the screen allowing you to select the percentage, if any, you'd like to give, you hit enter and you're set. All really easy! Here's an explanation of paying for your Taxi Magic ride.

I have to be honest though, the first time using the service was a little confusing. All apps, sites, etc. where you are receiving a service make you enter your credit card info. That's standard. But the way the app displays, I thought my credit card was being charged instead of applying my Taxi Magic credits. The app knows you have credits - even though it shows your credit card as the form of payment, it will process the fare using your credits and put a $0.00 charge next to your card. Because the app knew, my credit was applied and the transaction was complete. However, the driver should've been better trained with Taxi Magic because he also thought I hadn't paid so he turned the meter back on to manipulate it in a way to look like I took another ride so he could run my physical credit card, charging me for (what we didn't realize was) the second time.

Despite that challenge, Taxi Magic was great about the mix up. They credited my Taxi Magic account and worked with the cab company to get me a credit card refund right away. I can't say enough about the customer service! I was so impressed, I took another taxi ride again a few days later to see if the process was smoother - totally was. I used the in-cab Taxi Magic screen, followed the prompts, and was done. Extremely, extremely easy. The whole set up is perfect if you need a cab and don't have cash. Or if you're out drinking and a little too tipsy to fuss with cash or a credit card.

Added bonus: all of the cab drivers are licensed. As a woman, if I'm taking a cab I don't want to get into a car with a random person who has no certifications.

Another awesome fact: Taxi Magic isn't only an LA thing. They service 60 cities, from NYC, to Houston, to Jacksonville. Check out the complete list of Taxi Magic cities.

Want to try out Taxi Magic for yourself? I have a promotional code for $15 dollars off your first ride with the code: MomMagic14

To use this code:

Download the Taxi Magic app on iOS or Android phones

Open the Taxi Magic app

Tap the gear symbol in the top right corner

Tap “Promos and Credits” on the dropdown menu

Enter code MomMagic14 and tap the “enter” key on your keyboard

After you enter the code, the amount will appear on your “Promos and Credits” screen.